a-ha: ranking highs and lows

“What are we gonna do? I don’t know, create it”Dear a-ha friends,It’s hard to conceive it… but sometimes we feel like doing something other than ranking. And so we did this time! We’ve stepped into our very own time machine and set it to late summer 1996.In this imaginary world, a-ha are getting ready to create and record their sixth album, the follow-up to 1993’s Memorial Beach. To help the guys along, Jesper and JP have chosen the 12 songs to go on the album. But not only that: Peter the Producer has made sure the songs on the album are sequenced in the best way possible to create the optimal album flow. Is it a good album? You bet!The specific criteria for the selection of songs are explained in the podcast, and as per usual it’s quite simple, but JP manages to make it sound very complex. Meanwhile, Jesper is getting a musical deep tissue massage from a song, Peter is waiting for a movie version of JP’s new book, and JP tries to find a link to Joan Osborne. And there’s also a song that is a prune…We also learn that Jesper cannot count to two, and JP doesn’t know what an octave is. And none of us know what the thing you use to mute the sound of a trumpet is called. There are also stories of scaring an IT guy away from attending a Savoy concert, and Jesper shares his unfiltered feelings about collaborations in music. And perhaps Peter has some interesting chart news from 1997, while JP aaaaalmost doesn’t talk about his book (which you can order here: www.linktr.ee/lessonone).So, as always, there’s a lot going on when we get together. Actually, this time, so much that we perhaps got overly enthusiastic and maxed out the volume, which has caused some of the sound to become slightly muffled. But what can you expect after 25 episodes? Next time we’ll see if we can hire Alan Tarney.If you enjoy the podcast, please help us spread the word:👉 Subscribe wherever you listen (and rate the podcast)👉 Like and follow us on Facebook and Instagram👉 Share the episode with other a-ha fansIt all helps us get the show out to other fans who might not have discovered it yet.Thank you for all the interaction, the downloads, the encouragement, and just being awesome also in 2026. We’ll be back with more next year in some shape or form!All the best,JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer“New albums belong to the past / Only a fool would expect them to last”

‘I’m ranking hard to make you jealous / Ranking harder to make you stay’Dear a-ha friends,We thought it would take longer, but JP’s been editing all night, so why wait: here is episode 25 of a-ha: ranking highs and lows, where we – a little bit late – celebrate forty years with a-ha’s marvellous debut album, the legendary Hunting High and Low.And when we say “we couldn’t have done it without you”, we really mean it. It’s you — our listeners — who have voted for your favourite songs and shared your comments. That’s all we needed to put together another two hours of a-ha-themed entertainment to get you through Christmas 🎄In this episode, we ask the question that has baffled philosophers for ages: which is faster at self-identifying – a vegan, a triathlete, or an a-ha fan? We also get a strange vote and comment from a Danish guy by the name of Peter, recommend against public singing, and struggle with complex comments from very smart fans. And did Chris Martin actually vote and leave a comment? (Hint: no, he didn’t.)We also hear about phrases that make Jesper feel intelligent, JP argues Love Is Reason is a small stroke of genius, and one of our listeners introduces the word “badass” among the descriptors of a-ha’s songs. And can paper cups of coffee make you feel smart?In other words: this is the REAL celebration of a-ha’s first album, because the ranking and commenting is done by the fans for the fans. As always, if you enjoy this podcast, please help us spread the word by:👉 Subscribing wherever you listen (and rating the podcast)👉 Liking and following us on Facebook and Instagram (see below)👉 Sharing the episode with other a-ha fansIt all helps us get the show out to other fans who might not have discovered it yet.Our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rankingahaOur Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/rankingaha/Thank you for all the interaction, the downloads, the encouragement, and just being awesome in 2025. We’ll be back with more next year in some shape or form!All the best,JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer‘What can it mean? I’m ranking pictures of the sea’

‘You said that you were weak and I was strong / But I wasn’t strong enough / To let you rank’Dear a-ha friends,We wanted to celebrate Morten and his amazing voice, we asked for your help, and you delivered!So here they are: Morten Harket’s 30 best vocal performances as voted for by you, the listeners of a-ha: Ranking Highs and Lows - all nicely packaged in almost 3 hours of Morten (and a-ha) madness!Apart from featuring the top 30 incredible performances by Morten, this episode also asks (and partially answers) the following questions:Is it annoying if someone sings the menu at a restaurant?Are Danes generally just smarter?What’s easier to create: A poll or a Pål?Does JP really never get any phone calls?Did we break the record for most frequent use of the word “goosebumps” in a single podcast episode?How many pushups can Jesper do in one set (according to himself)?Are we more a Miranda or a Samantha?Does ChatGPT do Peter’s homework?Is there an interlude?How many foreign names did we mispronounce?Can anyone hold a single note for 6 minutes?And much, much more...It’s been an absolute pleasure and a lot of fun making this episode, reading all your thoughtful comments, and now sharing the results with you. We owe you all a big thank you for taking part in the voting and/or listening to the episode. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as we did!Remember to like and share the podcast if you think it could be interesting for other fans. And let’s continue to make this 40-year anniversary of Hunting High and Low a special one and keep celebrating the wonderful music of a-ha.All the best,JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer‘I'm coming home / No more ranking’

‘Hey listen honey, something you should rank / This can’t wait’Dear a-ha friends,We are extremely proud to share this new episode of ‘a-ha: Ranking Highs and Lows’ with you. We had the chance to catch up with Jørun Bøgeberg – a-ha’s bass player from 1990 to 1994, all-round cool dude and one of the nicest guys you’re likely to meet.In this episode, Jørun kindly shares his favourite moments from his time with a-ha, and we are just there for the ride. Among other things, you will hear a great impression of Magne, you will hear about a fake bass part that Jørun got credited for, and you’ll also learn which a-ha song he was likely the first person ever to listen to. You’ll hear a salad being prepared in the background, and you will find out if missing a couple of bass notes on stage at an a-ha concert has consequences.There are a couple of phone calls from Morten to Jørun at odd times, and we ALMOST tell you where you can find a real collector’s item. There are, of course, also memories of some great shows in South America, we play some lesser-known sound bites, and Jørun tries to decide if he played on a much-beloved demo song.In addition to that, you get some cool insights into working with our favourite trio, a new take on how a-ha felt about those 90s albums, and the modest party culture within the band despite some major achievements. And what is the story behind the nickname “Boogieberg”?We had a blast with Jørun, and we hope you’ll enjoy the episode and the stories from someone who’s played with a-ha on some of our absolute favourite albums and tours.As always, please like, subscribe, share, give us some nice reviews where you listen to your podcasts and all that algorithm-related tech stuff to make sure we get the episode out to as many a-ha fans as possible. Sharing is caring, and we do care a lot about a-ha!Let’s continue to make this 40-year anniversary of Hunting High and Low a special one and keep celebrating the wonderful music of a-ha. We will do our best at least – and this time with Jørun Bøgeberg!All the best,JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer‘You say you want to rank / You’re not the only one / Not the only one’

“You’re hoping for rankings / Well, just look around / Everyone here is standing in line”Dear a-ha friends,It’s time we made good on our promise to record a new episode of ‘a-ha: Ranking Highs and Lows’ - as far as we know the world’s only (and therefore arguably: best) podcast solely dedicated to the wonderful music of a-ha and their related solo projects. And this episode is of course a ranking of the songs from Magne’s new album ‘living with ourselves’ (and in case anyone is wondering: Yes, every cell in our bodies screams for us to begin the words with capital letters, but we can’t argue with artists, can we? Maybe we can).Anyway, it’s not a secret that we are rather fond of ‘living with ourselves’ so if you decided to press Play on this episode hoping to listen to three angry middle-aged men (us, not a-ha), you’ll be unpleasantly surprised. However, you will get to hear about currency exchange rates, Peter the Producer’s sneaky musical adventures as a young boy, a conversation at work that maybe robbed Jesper of a treasured item, and the idea for a band called “a-heatles” and a single called “Gospel from a Beatle”.We also speculate what it takes for a Magne to be a John, if 400.000 NOK is enough to send three people to Southern France to record an album, and how much time a-ha owes us back. We also talk a little about Depeche Mode, Babybird, Sting, and Tom Waits, and we talk a fair bit about a-ha and of course a lot about Magne.We hope you’ll like the episode and that it might even inspire a few of you who haven’t listened to the album yet - or only a few times - to give it some more spins (or streams, probably). And as always: we appreciate all the comments we get from you guys and guysettes so keep ‘em coming. Please also make sure to like, subscribe, share and whatever else it takes to become friends with the algorithm.We’ll surely find something else to rank eventually - this is a year to celebrate after all - so we’ll certainly be back. Until then!All the best,JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer“Your life is a podcast / The rankings are you”

In this episode of "a-ha: Ranking Highs and Lows" we revist the MUSIC VIDEOS to see which ones have stood the test of time, and which ones fall flat. Not surprisingly we have a lot to say, so we’ve split the ranking into two parts. The upside of that is that there will be another episode out very soon, and the downside is… well, there ARE no downsides, as far as we can see.In this first episode we’re covering the music videos ranked from 40 to 21 on our list. This means that we’re addressing various half-baked ideas, complain about exaggerated use of the frog perspective, try to summon ZZ Top, and remember some childhood toys that were popular among those of us at Ranking Highs and Lows who didn’t have MTV or cable in their childhood (that’s JP, in case you’re wondering).We’re also talking about clothes, and the lack thereof, and Peter the Producer pushes a video further up the list. Jesper and JP recall copying one of Morten’s most iconic outfits, and we’re speculating about a possible nomination for Pål in Farmer’s Digest. We’re also advising against being the guy who always brings his guitar to a bonfire, and Jesper complains about a video that he thinks was made in 20 minutes of spare time, while JP confesses his love of bad taste.We also complain about wasted opportunities (for a-ha, not for us), speculate about gasoline prices outside of Norway, get a sonic treat in Peter’s new cave, and praise a video so much that it sounds like it should be way higher up the list. We wonder if Magne ever felt like running over Morten with a car, and we’re missing an update to our Flash drive. And we wonder if Morten has a lot of callus on his fingertips.So once again we’ve found something to talk about, and just for your listening pleasure we’ve sprinkled plenty of Danish accents across the whole thing. But there’s also a lot of love, fun, and unwarranted speculation, just how we like it!We of course also have a Facebook page and an Instagram account where you can leave a comment or stay informed about upcoming episodes.

In this episode of "a-ha: ranking highs and lows" we’ve ranked the songs from ‘MTV Unplugged - Summer Solstice’ album, which we hope you’ve all had a chance to listen to. Otherwise maybe this episode can serve as an introduction.This time we go shopping for instruments with Mozart, Jesper invents a new superhero, and JP shares opinions about musical arrangements of which he has no clue. We also encounter a large selection of instruments that we give the wrong names. And how many choruses does Lifelines have now?We try to remove the feeling of hope from several songs, JP abandons computers for note-taking, and Jesper guesses 81 songs in 1 second, while Peter has his eyes on the strings section. And how much is Jesper’s kidney really worth?JP also quotes himself more than once, Jesper shares strong opinions about collaborations in music, and Peter serves a bitter soup. Jesper also grows thoughtful again and JP can’t say he likes it. And where is ‘You Are the One’?And of course we also find the time to rank the 21 songs on the MTV Unplugged album, so all in all we consider this a success as that was the whole point of this episode. Sometimes we forget, but that’s where Peter steps in.If you like what you hear then please recommend the podcast to other fans. We still get more followers with each episode (thank you!!) but we know there are still fans out there who we haven’t reached yet, so feel free to share the info about the podcast in fan forums, Instagram or Facebook groups etc. if you feel that’s appropriate. Thanks!#officialaha #mortenharket #magnefuruholmen #paulwaaktaarsavoy #palwaaktaar #paulwaaktaar #takeonme #mtvunplugged #huntinghighandlow

In this episode we rank the 11 studio albums by a-ha.Among other things you’ll get a tour through Jesper’s Facebook feed from 2009, Peter sees an escape door standing ajar, and JP provides a status on a t-shirt from the year 2000. We also rank German music magazines, and a-ha wins a questionable contest. And can you buy a girlfriend in a clothing store in Berlin?Jesper also worries about why JP is suddenly quiet (it doesn’t last long – neither the worrying nor the being quiet) and Peter refuses to revisit old discussions. We also mention The Beatles, because we are under contract to do so, and we talk about the period where being an a-ha fan didn’t come with any perks. We also talk about Wham! And can you like an album better than you like the songs on it?And of course we rank the albums, interrupt each other, forget about good podcasting techniques, laugh at our own jokes, talk about those formative years and how the relationship with an album can change over time. And we – possibly for the first time in any of the episodes – refrain from speaking Norwegian. So at least that’s solid progress.As always please do share your thoughts, comments and reactions on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rankingaha. And if you like what you hear then please recommend the podcast to other fans of a-ha or share it on your own social media. Thanks!All the best,JP, Jesper and Peter the Producer

In this episode we rank the 25 best songs by Pål Waaktaar-Savoy from his projects outside of a-ha, which thereby is the 2nd part of our top 50 countdown.In this episode you'll be treated to more accents than anyone needs to hear, Jesper re-visits some of his favourite references, Peter the Producer is looking for a way out and JP continues to struggle with even the simplest Norwegian. We also still mess up the pronounciation af Frode's name ("Fruity", "Frough" and "Frood" are among the feeble attempts) and we second-guess one of our previous rankings. And should Pål buy more pianos at the flea market?Jesper is unsure of how many mp3 files he has sent to Pål over the years, JP questions certain stories about the origin of Take On Me, and both JP and Jesper show a so far unknown inability to estimate audience sizes. We hear about the Milli Vanilli test, we learn about JP's access to the old internet, and we hear what Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys has to say about the duration of pop songs. And should you always do what your woman tells you to?You'll also hear Jesper denying a claim about a song that JP brings up, we learn how JP prefers to dance, we do some questionable segways from one song to the next, Jesper sneaks in an Alice Cooper reference, and we hear about Peter's love for the world's cheapest instrument. And are you allowed to play the tambourine whilst driving?We of course also argue over who likes a song more, JP doubts Jesper's involvement in the writing of Savoy songs, we meet a dangerous guy, Peter defends a-ha, Jesper admits to listening to our old episodes, and we learn what Pål and Lauren used to listen to in their kitchen. And how long time did it take to download a Savoy song snippet back in 1996?And last but certainly not least you'll of course hear what we think are the 25 greatest songs from Pål in the various constellations outside of a-ha. Maybe you'll agree, maybe you won't but hopefully you'll enjoy the ride!And feel free to drop by our Facebook page to share your thoughts, comments and reactions to the ranking. And as always: If you like what you hear - or if you don't like it and want others to share the pain - then please recommend the podcast to other fans of Pål/Savoy or a-ha. We know there are a lot of keen fans of Pål and Savoy out there but they may not all have found our Facebook page or podcast yet. So if you’re a member of a Facebook or Instagram group that shares our love for Pål/Savoy then please share the info about this episode as well if you feel that’s appropriate. Thanks!#waaktaar #waaktaarpal #a-ha #aha #officialaha

In this episode we direct our attention to a-ha keyboardist Magne Furuholmen as we hunt for the 30 highs from his solo endeavours and side projects outside a-ha.In this episode you'll hear how Peter has given up on JP and now gives a trusted task to Jesper, we await a concept album about skimmed milk, and Peter and JP are left speechless (if only for a short while) by Jesper’s anecdotes from an Apparatjik concert.We get another one of Jesper’s “I was at work when I first heard this song”-stories, and we also learn which song might get Jesper on the dancefloor after a few drinks. Meanwhile JP confuses Jesper with a lyrics interpretation that JP himself thinks makes plenty of sense, and Peter regrets asking follow-up questions. And does Magne really love the word “hindsight” so much that it calls for fireworks?You’ll also hear some quotes from some rather harsh reviews of Magne’s first album, and can it really be that Apparatjik makes a mental note to always include 40 seconds of weirdness in their songs? And which song by Magne according to Jesper sounds like a better version of John Lennon’s “Imagine”? We also discuss ghosts - including the giving up of them - and we probably read too much conflict material into all the lyrics. And has Magne written a song about his lawyer? On top of that we talk riff-recycling and lyrical rabbit holes while Jesper for once quotes more lyrics than JP. And which song by Magne makes JP fear that Jesper may be on the same wavelength as Pål?JP suggests that Jesper should commission Magne to make him a pedestal, and we think that Morten can carry a horse. We of course also discuss Magne’s voice, we celebrate the diversity of his output, and Jesper looks for Easter eggs at Xmas time. And how does our timing of podcast release dates compare to a-ha?All of this is blended together with 30 awesome tracks from Magne in the various constellations he uses for his creative output. Maybe you know (and love) them all, maybe you’re quite new to Magne’s work outside of a-ha or maybe you’re just ready to dig a bit deeper. Whatever your starting point is, we hope that you’ll enjoy this episode!You are of course also more than welcome to visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rankingaha where you can follow us and comment on the episodes and the rankings.

In this episode we rank the 12 songs from "True North" - the latest addition to a-ha's amazing career and song catalogue - from the worst to the best, and we can reveal that the battle for the top spot is close!In this episode we possibly fail at giving a short summary of anything, we praise some drummers, we talk about second cousins and sisters, and it would be surprising if there wasn’t something that sounds more Beatles than The Beatles…We also introduce the concept of a ‘reverse Jesus’, we discuss a-ha’s insect trilogy, we try to find out if there’s a Nordic elephant in the room, and which song on the new album could have benefitted from a Hammond organ to make it more Doorsy?We also talk about goosebumps and teary eyes after an evening with True North in headphones, we laugh at our own jokes and discuss the new lyrics. We even make the bold claim that some of the new songs could eventually prove to end up in an all time top 25 of a-ha songs! Now, if THAT isn’t something to get excited about then we don’t know what is?!Also take the opportunity to join the discussion about our ranking on Facebook where we’d love for you to talk to us and tell us things we could find helpful.https://www.facebook.com/rankingaha

In the fifth episode of Ranking Highs and Lows we crack the top 50 as we continue our ranking of the 147 a-ha songs from worst to best by counting down from 50 to 26. Here we encounter a song that both of us like but for quite different reasons, we run into some serious compromises and discuss which version of a song is the right one to rank.We also come across some big hits, discuss the importance of the production of a song, find out if there is such a thing as “The Waaktaar-Savoy School for the Brokenhearted” and uncover which colour palette seems to dominate a-ha song titles.This episode also features the tale of when we met Morten and reminded him of songs he possibly had forgotten about, we discuss how far down the word “funky” is on the list of adjectives that describe a-ha, and we bask in the pride you can feel as a fan when an a-ha song does well on the charts. All this and much more awaits you as we get close to the top 25.In case you prefer to read rather than listen or just want to check out the list again in written form then check out our blog where we go through the ranking in writing. There you can find previous parts of the ranking as well.https://www.rankingaha.dk/Also take the opportunity to join the discussion about our ranking on Facebook where we’d love to hear your thoughts.https://www.facebook.com/rankingahaAnd of course you can lie down in darkness and check out all the songs from the ranking on our Spotify playlist as well.https://sptfy.com/rankingaha

In the third episode of Ranking Highs and Lows we crack the top 100 as we continue our ranking of the 147 a-ha songs from worst to best by counting down from 100 to 76. In this episode we see the song quality increase significantly, discover lyrics that may not be considered appropriate in 2021, and find out which song meant a lot to one of your podcast hosts when he was love sick.We also discuss a-ha vs. Savoy vs. Beatles vs. Madonna, we encounter a couple of commercially successful singles, come across a number of animals and debate if we’re being too harsh on certain songs. We probably are.So which non-album track just missed the top 75, which songs cause some disagreement among us, and are there limits to what a manager can ask band members to do? Listen and find out.In case you prefer to read rather than listen or just want to revisit the list again then check out our blog where we go through the ranking in writing. There you can find both this part of the ranking as well as previous posts.https://www.rankingaha.dk/Also don’t hesitate to join the discussion on Facebook. We’d love for you to leave a comment so “keep writing letters…”.https://www.facebook.com/rankingahaAnd of course check out all the songs from our ranking on our Spotify playlist as well if you want to remind yourself of how sweet it was.https://sptfy.com/rankingaha